Blastfrog on 21/1/2014 at 00:15
Can they really get mad at people for stealing a game about stealing? :P In all seriousness, I really wish there was just a normal demo. If I can't try a sample of the game to see if it's actually any good at all, I won't play it and they won't see my money. What is it with devs these days expecting you to plop down 60 dollars blindly and to just hope that it's good? I realize this has generally always been the case for console games (some exceptions), but at least bigger PC games for the longest time provided a test run for people.
I suppose maybe they think it's uneconomical to spend money on developing a demo (even if all they really need to do is just give a slice of the existing work), or maybe they're afraid that you won't buy it if it turns out that you don't like it. Well, if they're so unconfident in their product, that makes me even more skeptical and I sure as hell won't buy it just to find out IF I like it.
Although I was initially considering playing a friend's copy if they get it, I don't even know if I'll bother going out of my way just to try it at this point. I find the lack of demo very disheartening. Not that I ever expected good business practices from EM, though.
Azaran on 21/1/2014 at 01:32
Yeah I never understood that. Demos are a brilliant concept - trying before you buy - and even if their excuse is that it's too cumbersome to make a demo, all they need to make is the main game and simply remove most of it for the demo.
Quote Posted by Blastfrog
or maybe they're afraid that you won't buy it if it turns out that you don't like it. Well, if they're so unconfident in their product, that makes me even more skeptical and I sure as hell won't buy it just to find out IF I like it.
Yeah that's a highly dishonest strategy. If their game is good, what are they so afraid of?
june gloom on 21/1/2014 at 03:57
Quote Posted by Azaran
and even if their excuse is that it's too cumbersome to make a demo, all they need to make is the main game and simply remove most of it for the demo.
Do you know anything about game development? It's not an "excuse" at all, it's the reality. What you are proposing is often simply not practical, for a variety of reasons, some of it having to do with the sheer size of the game and its assets. But there's some more practical reasons, namely money. Demos take a while to make (which means releasing them after the game is pointless,) are often running off of older code due to having to be developed alongside the full game, it costs money to make them (which does not get returned as the demo is free) and demos are known to actually reduce sales rather than increase them. The money spent on making a demo could be better spent on polishing the full game or into focused advertising.
I knew the demo was meeting its demise when the Quantum of Solace demo was like 700mb -- a pretty big download in 2008 -- and it had like, 2 minutes of gameplay.
demagogue on 21/1/2014 at 07:45
Quote Posted by deth
I knew the demo was meeting its demise when the Quantum of Solace demo was like 700mb -- a pretty big download in 2008 -- and it had like, 2 minutes of gameplay.
The alternative we have today is the gameplay trailers, best when (if) they are done by an independent reviewer and long & involved enough to really see the game in action.
As for myself, I usually watch LP videos of the first level or so of games post-release before getting them. In that respect we've never had it better than the present age to legitimately see gameplay before getting a game.
SubJeff on 21/1/2014 at 08:48
I still go by reviews.
If a game is in a genre you like and it's getting 90%+ at Metacritic your reasons for disliking it will likely be rather personal.
And if people you trust like it, like many Ttlg folks, that's further evidence.
When Dishonoured came out people here were talking about the space, the movement and the verticality of the levels. It sold it to me even more and they were, of course, correct.
june gloom on 21/1/2014 at 09:22
IMO professional reviews of AAA games are worthless.
SubJeff on 21/1/2014 at 11:43
I cherry pick. If RPS says the PC controls are utter turd I'll take that on board. I don't think anyone can be relied on these days either - there is too much personality in it. In the old days PC gamer UK used to be reliable for me.
Renault on 21/1/2014 at 14:45
Considering all their revenue comes from ads, I think most gaming sites don't want to risk pissing off the big time publishers by giving bad reviews. How often do you see a AAA game come out and it's rated below a 7 or an 8? I can't put any kind of faith into a system like that, especially when I've experienced first hand how flawed it is.
Even getting feedback here isn't foolproof - there's quite a few TTLGers that will sing Deadly Shadow's praises. But that said, I'll still put a lot more stock into opinions here than anywhere else.